Dr. Howard Croom returned to Oregon State University in July of 2022 as Associate Athletic Director, Chief Diversity Officer & Director of Student Services in the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. In this role, Howard leads the Athletic Department’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging strategy and efforts. Additionally, he oversees a number of areas related to the holistic development of student-athletes including Student-Athlete Development, International Services, and liaisons to Academics for Student-Athletes. Howard also serves as the Sport Administrator for the Men’s Wrestling program which involves budget management and oversight of scheduling, personnel decisions, student-athlete health and wellness, fundraising, facility and game management, equipment, post-season planning, and recruiting.
Howard was as a graduate assistant-academic counselor in the Academics for Student-Athletes Department at Oregon State from 2010-2012, and a member of the Oregon State football team from 2006-2009. Howard graduated from OSU in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology (minor in Ethnic Studies) and earned a master’s degree in Public Policy from OSU in 2012. He completed his doctorate in Educational Leadership at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education in 2022.
Previously, Howard served as an academic counselor in the Athletic Department at USC from 2014-2021. At USC, Howard oversaw NCAA academic eligibility and degree completion, as well as coordinated academic support for the football and women’s beach volleyball programs (football position groups: OL, DL, TE, ST). Additionally, Howard coordinated USC’s Athlete Career Transition program, created the USC Athletic Department Summer Internship Program, and developed and instructed a first-year experience course for student-athletes called PHED 165: Freshman Success Seminar. He also served as the chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee within USC’s Student-Athlete Academic Services department.
Prior to USC, Howard worked at UC Irvine from 2013-2014 as an Academic and Life Skills Coordinator in the Athletic Department. While at UCI, Howard coordinated all academic support and oversaw NCAA academic eligibility for the Men’s Basketball, Men’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Track & Field and Cross Country, Women’s Tennis, and Men’s Golf teams. He also oversaw and managed the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills program.
Howard’s research interests include racial equity in higher education, student-athletes’ academic and career-related outcomes, anti-Blackness in higher education, commodification and exploitation of Black student-athletes, Black fungibility in intercollegiate athletics, and infusion of scholarship and practice in student-athlete support services.
Professional Affiliations:
MOAA, Minority Opportunities Athletic Association
N4A, National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals
NADOHE, National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education
NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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